A group of parents have expressed their outrage over a proposal to build a mobile phone mast next to a children's nursery.

Minh Tran, of Nelson Road in Wanstead, is leading a campaign against a planning application to build a 12.5m mobile phone mast next to Little Diamonds Nursery and his house in Hermon Hill.

The 39-year-old said he is worried the radiation from the mast will threaten his children’s health, as well as those at three nearby nurseries, a primary school, and an old people’s home.

Mr Tran said: “There is research that shows how damaging radiation from phone masts can be on the nervous system, which is not a risk I want to take with my children.

“I would strongly consider moving house if this was built, as my three-year-old would be living and going to nursery right next to it.”

A similar application for a 15m mast was submitted in November last year, but was rejected just before Christmas.

Mr Tran added: “I don’t see how reducing the size of it slightly is going to reduce the health risk.”

After sending out information on the proposal to over 50 nearby houses, Mr Tran said the managers at both Daisy Chain Pre School and Trinity Hall Kindergarten in Hermon Hill have also objected to the mast.

Although Snaresbrook Primary School in Meadow Walk was informed of the proposals, Little Diamonds located next to the proposed site was not.

Director of Little Diamonds Ltd, Karrien Stevens said: “We weren’t informed about this at all.

“Now that it’s been brought to our attention it’s very scary and something I feel very concerned about.

“The potentially damaging effect on our children’s health would also have a hugely negative impact on our business, which only opened in September last year, so I feel very strongly about putting a stop to all this.”

Father-of-two Simon Lim is also extremely concerned for his three and one-year-old sons’ health.

The 33-year-old from Hermon Hill said: “If there’s a 50:50 chance that it might have damaging health effects, I don’t want to take that risk.”

Liz Seager, of Nelson Road, said she is also very angry’ about the potential effect the mast would have on the value of her house.

She said: “It is in a very attractive area, why can’t they build it somewhere more industrial?

“Just a bit further down the road at Charlie Brown’s Roundabout it’s really ugly, why can’t they build it there?”

Another Hermon Hill resident, Sheila Compton, also expressed her concern at the site's location so near to the nursery and the Hilary Dennis Court care home in Sylvan Road.

The 64-year-old said: "Even though it is likely to increase radiation with ensuing health repercussions, they insensitively want to site it virtually adjacent to a nursery school and an elderly people's home - two of the most vulnerable sectors of the population."

Mr Tran has furthered the campaign by writing to MP for Leyton and Wanstead John Cryer and Redbridge Council to object to the new proposal.

The council has been contacted for comment.

Anyone with objections to the application can email them to planning.consultations@redbridge.gov.uk quoting reference 0342/16 before March 5.